Just one or Two broken ribs
by Remyalexander
Summary: Johnny get's a beating from his dad and try's to sleep it off in the lot. Dallas happens to come by and brings him to the Curtis household to take care off him. First Fanfic written so please review if you can. Has evolved to cover what happens in book with Johnny and Dally's thoughts.
1. Chapter 1

As Johnny Cade lay in the lot trying to go to sleep, he was constantly distracted by the pain in his side. It had rained the night before and he had spent the night with the Curtis's. When he left for his house he paid no attention to the mud. That is until he got and got mud on the floor. His mother started to scream at him and that subsequently awoke his father who acted as though his mother hysterics were his fault and began to hammer him. This particular beating his primary focus seemed to be on his ribs. His father went at him which such tenacity he seemed to be on a mission. As it turns out he was. His father hit him until he felt one of Johnny's ribs break and then kicked him out.

So here Johnny lay, in pain and a little cold. It was September. Not quite winter but there was still a chill in the air. He would go over to the Curtis's, but he didn't like to seem needy so he never went two nights in a row.

Dallas Winston was bored. This is something he rarely ever was. Everyone one was busy and he wanted something to do. He would be at Merrill's but he could only stomach his taste in music for so long. Tim Shepard and his brother Curly were both in the slammer. Soda and Steve were out on dates and Two-Bit was sick. He had assumed that the kid was asleep at his house until he walked by the vacant lot and saw a familiar shaped lump. Groaning internally and hoping the kid had just decided to crash here instead of being forced to, he walked to the lot more quickly then he normally would have.

"Hey Johnnycakes" Dally said, "What's up?"

"Just sleeping of a beating" was Johnny's forlorn reply.

Dallas was irritated about how little Johnny seemed to care about how often and without reason he was beat. This lead to his smart ass reply "Well no sleeping beauty is sure doesn't seem to be working". Johnny looked up at him with a slight twinkle in his eye and a slight chuckle. That pleased Dally a little. Damn right he was funny. "So Johnnycakes, what is it this time" he asked trying hard to sound casual instead of angry and helpless. Because of the flood light across the way Dally new it wasn't a black eye or a cut lip. The fact that Dallas couldn't see Johnny's injuries worried him. Dallas knew that the wounds you can't see are always the worst.

Johnny replied "I've just got a broken rib or two".

'Just' was went through his head but he decided not to voice it. The kid was in pain and hated it when Dallas raged on his parents. He would do that later at Darryl's. That's where he decided they were going now. He told Johnny of his plan. He could tell that the kid had some protest but Dallas gave him the look, together Dally being careful not to hurt his ribs they slowly made it to the Curtis's with Johnny leaner deeper and deeper into him with the strain of walking. They quietly walked in knowing the door would be unlocked. Dally gently set Johnny down on the couch and went quickly and quietly to the kitchen and medicine cabinet to get some supplies for Johnny.

When Dally came back Johnny was almost half asleep. He felt groggy from the pain and being up most of the night. Dally came in with much more supplies then he had assumed he would. Not only did he have Aspirin and water for him but he also had medical tape and crackers.

"Crackers" Johnny asked confused.

Dally cracked a knowing smile and replied "trust me; the pain seems worse on an empty stomach".

Dallas wrapped his ribs in medical tape very slowly trying not to bump a rib to hard, after that he made sure Johnny had at least one stupid cracker and was pleasantly surprised when he ate five. The kid was just too damn small. Johnny then took the Aspirin and finished off the water.

"Thanks' Dal" he said, "you're a real good friend".

"Just don't go around telling people that okay kid" Dally said jokingly feeling slightly uncomfortable with the flattery. Johnny gave him one last amused smile before drifting off to sleep.

Dallas decided to stay there during the night, to make sure the kid wasn't in pain. Then in the morning he was going to tell Johnny to come to the Curtis's when he was hurt. Then after that knowing Johnny wouldn't listen he would bitch to Darry about it. He didn't like how everything just seemed to cycle, all he could do was hope for a change and want it to be for the better.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys, there will only be one more chapter after this one. I plan to follow the book. All credit goes to S.E Hinton.**

Dallas thought he was going to be sick. It didn't make any sense to him; he had seen dead bodies in New York. They all looked better than Johnny now. The kid was on the couch in the Curtis household asleep. No one in the gang could bear to look at him except Darry who was cleaning his wounds and Soda who was trying to wash some of the dried blood off him. Ponyboy had gone outside for some reason. Dally thought it was to smoke but every time he saw Ponyboy all he was doing was staring at the sky, Two-Bit was sitting in the kitchen and drinking something that smelled a hell of a lot stronger than beer. Steve was in the kitchen with him and was mumbling something under his breath that sounded an awful lot like 'God-Damned Socs'.

Looking down at the kid, Dallas could see all his injuries. He had a black eye, a busted lip, cuts and bruises were all over his face and body. The worst one by far though was on his cheek. It was a deep gash several inches long. Dally had seen cuts like that. He knew it would never fully heal. Johnny would have that awful scar on his face until the day he was buried.

Dallas was going to kill those socs, what did Johnny ever do to them? Johnny was what kept them all together. To see him on the couch looking for all the world a corpse, was killing him. Not that he would let anybody see that. He didn't know why it was so important for him to be the toughest in the room. He truly did care about Johnny and all the other guys in the gang; he only hoped that Johnny knew that.

Looking at Johnny's broken body he swears then and there to protect him. No matter what, there was no way Johnny would be getting into any more trouble, of any type. Dallas would make sure of that.


	3. Chapter 3

Johnny was sitting down in the freight car with Ponyboy's head on his lap. He was still having trouble actually believing the night's events. It seemed like years ago he had talked back to Dally. With the boy, he shuddered to think about it. The blood, the final breath of that boy, kid really, that he himself had caused. He could still feel the blood on his hand even though it wasn't really there anymore.

He had thought of Dallas immediately, he would always know what to do. He had, he gave them money and a plan. Dallas had handed him a gun and with it a trust in his ability to take care of himself, and of Pony who Johnny had unwitting dragged into this. Just as he thought this he felt Ponyboy start to stir.

"Hmm…where am I?" Pony asked, confused in his sleepy state. Johnny felt a tug at his heart strings. It was his fault Pony was here instead of in his warm bed at home. He figured he would give the kid as comfortable night sleep as possible.

"You're at home silly, where else would you be?" Johnny said soothingly. Even as the words left his mouth he could see the kid going back to sleep. Johnny knew that he probably wouldn't even remember this conversation come morning. He hoped that at least Pony would get to see his family. The kid was kind and smart and deserved that. He had a family that cared about him. Johnny had Dally and was only comforted knowing that Johnny would be coming to get them soon. With that knowledge Johnny was able to relax and wait out the stop at Windrixville as cool as any of the other gang had ever been.


	4. Chapter 4

He was running, he couldn't stop, and he just had to keep going. Dallas could not believe what had just transpired. The kid was dead, and yet he couldn't be. As Dallas sit in that hospital room watching Johnny, _his _Johnnycakes take his last breathe his mind as at opposite poles. It was the shock. He kept thinking that Johnny couldn't hold his breath that long and he was going to make himself pass out, he was also concurrently wondering how he was going to tell the rest of the gang that Johnny wouldn't ever breathe again. The kids last words "Stay Gold", stay gold, they were directed at Ponyboy, Johnny told him before he left for the rumble what that meant. Dallas wished he could stay gold for him. You can't go back though. Once you lose whatever it is that makes you want to see a rainbow or watch a sunset there is no going back.

So Dallas robbed a liquor store, he called the gang; he pulled the unloaded gun on the cops, knowing what would happen when he did. He did this because he knew that if he couldn't be full of gold for Johnnycakes, the lead of a bullet was the next best thing.

The End


End file.
